A Message
by UpAllNightWriting
Summary: When something rocks Tim's world, how will he take it? Will he slip and fall off the edge? Or will his friends be there to see him through? Three chapters, one a day. Slightly OOC/AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Yay! New story! This is a sad one... I'm not a sad person, but I thought it would be cool to explore this. Just to let everyone know, this one is already finished, and it's only three chapters. This is something I really wanted to try writing, so here it goes... I'll post one chapter every day. So, without further authors note (mostly because there's nothing more to say), here's the first chapter! Enjoy, Owl**.

_Monday_

Tim sat at his desk, waiting for the clock to pick up the pace. But it didn't. Not only was it Monday, but there was no case. No case meant cold cases. And at 4:30, Tim was shivering. He saw Tony, who was crumpling up random papers and throwing them into his trash can.

"Seriously, Tony. Can you throw those into someone else's can, please?" Tim begged. The methodic sound of paper hitting metal was driving him crazy. Gibbs was out getting what was probably his fifth cup of coffee, and Ziva was yelling at someone in hebrew over the phone. When she hung up, Tony jumped at the chance that something interesting was going down.

"Who was that?" Tony asked, digging for something to talk about.

"My father. He said he was taking a grain check and that he was sorry, but something came up. What could be more important than to visit his only child?" she said angrily.

"Rain check, not grain." Tim piped up after he heard her mistake.

"Thank you, McGee." Ziva corrected herself.

"Well, Senior is going to get here tomorrow night around six, and I'm not very excited." Tony said while they were on the subject of fathers.

"Why not?" Tim asked, curious.

"He's bringing his new wife, Shelley. This will be my..." Tony said, counting on his fingers.

"Twelfth step mom. I think he's had more wives than anniversaries." He concluded.

"Wow." Ziva said.

"But who's counting?" Tony said sarcastically. The ringing of Tim's phone startled them all.

"Special Agent McGee." he said, greeting whoever was calling.

"This is Tim McGee, correct?" an official sounding man asked.

"Yes. Who is this?" Now Tim was curious.

"Hello, Tim. This is Petty Officer Maxwell Jordan. I'm-" McGee cut the man off. Max Jordan was a family friend in the Navy.

"My dad's assistant. Is something wrong, Max?" Tim asked. He was more than scared now. What was going on? Max would only call sounding so official if there was something big going down.

"The Admiral, I mean, your father is- is dead. I'm so sorry, Tim."

Max sounded terrified. He was only twenty two, and he had known both Mr. McGee and Tim for his whole life. The phone fell out of Tim's hands and he started shaking. Tony and Ziva snapped their heads over to see what was going on. Tim picked up the phone.

"T- th- thank y- you, Max." Tim said and jostled the phone back into its cradle.

"Tim?" Tony asked, concerned for his partner. Tim put his head in his hands and started to cry. Tony rushed over, Ziva right behind him.

"Tim! What's wrong?" Tony asked again.

"Are you alright?" Ziva asked him. Right on time, Gibbs walked out of the elevator and ran over to McGee's desk when he saw the two agents crowded around it.

"He won't tell us what's wrong, Boss." Tony said when he realized Gibbs was standing next to him. Tim looked up when he heard that Gibbs was there.

"Boss, he- he's gone! My- my dad is g- gone! He's dead!" Tim said, sobs wracking his body. He sniffled and wiped his eyes.

"Oh Tim. Oh, Tim I'm- I'm so sorry, buddy." Tony said, hugging his friend. Ziva also gave him a hug and whispered in his ear.

"I am sorry as well. I know he was very close to you."

"Thanks, guys." Tim said. Gibbs led him up to Vance's office, where he was on the phone with Jarvis, no doubt talking about the same thing they were there to see him about.

Vance must have told Cynthia to let them in because for once she didn't protest when Gibbs reached for the door handle. Tim walked in on his own, wiping the tears from his face.

"I- I assume you know, D- Director Vance?" he stuttered. 'Poor kid.' Gibbs felt really bad for Tim, but he also knew exactly what he was feeling like. McGee and his dad weren't on the best terms, but Tim had requested some time off and they were going to take a vacation soon, just the two of them. Vance stood up as he put his desk phone back.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Agent McGee. Your father was a good man." Vance consoled his agent. But he just started to cry again.

"I- I need time off, Director. I- I'm sorry, I really want to keep working, b- but I don't th- think I can." Tim more stated than asked.

"How about the rest of the week?" Vance said, writing something on a post-it note.

"Thank you, Director." Tim said. All of the sudden, Tim's cell phone rang and he immediately stepped out of the room. Gibbs heard 'Sarah.' before the door shut and he turned to face Vance.

Gibbs spoke as soon as the door shut.

"What happened?" was all he said.

"The Admiral, Sam McGee, was stationed on the USS Ronald Reagan. A fire broke out in the kitchen, and the only people there were the cook, Sam, and a Petty Officer Max Jordan, assistant to Sam as well as a family friend. The cook's name is Nick Carlton. He was trapped by the fire, but Sam found a way to get to him. He told Jordan to go get help, but the boy was still in shock.

"Sam got to Carlton and got him out of the way. He and Jordan ran screaming for help. Sam was about to get out when the room exploded. We don't know what caused the fire, or how the kitchen exploded. But there's no way it wasn't Sam McGee. Dental records match." Vance told Gibbs. He shook his head and sighed.

"Man died a hero. Saved another man's life." he observed.

"Are Jordan and Carlton ok?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just some cuts and bruises from when the explosion knocked them off their feet. Carlton hit his head, but it's a minor concussion. They'll be fine." Vance replied. There was a silence that was broken by a question from Vance.

"Is he going to be ok after a week, Gibbs?" The man was worried. After all, McGee was his agent.

"I really don't know, Leon. The boy is a complicated man. You think you know his next move, then bam! Completely changes course. McGee is strong, but he could tip either way." Vance was unamused by Gibbs' response. He knew it was going to be exactly like that. But he decided not to fight over it.

So, he just replied, "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

**So, that's the first chapter! Please, please review and follow and favorite because every email I get makes my day! Especially those reviews :) But I really do want to know what every one thought of this because... well, because I do! So, until tomorrow, Owl.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two! Sorry for posting kind of late, It's been a busy day. Thanks a million to everybody who followed, reviewed, and read! It means a lot! Enjoy, Owl**

_Wednesday_

The music was loud and Tim was glad. Hard rock wasn't his personal favorite, but it was the one thing that he didn't have to blare and no one could tell that he was crying. It had been two days since his father died. Tim hated Wednesdays in the first place, but now every day was just... horrible. Tim had talked to Sarah on Monday, but besides that, he'd only gone out to get milk and cereal and take Jethro out on walks.

Tim wasn't sure why he cried like he did. For seven years, he didn't talk to his dad because he was too mad at him. They spent almost ten years fuming at each other, unless you count the endless fights about joining the Navy that started when Tim turned ten. They never actually ended, which was why Tim started to cry for the second time that day.

Around quarter till nine that night, Tim heard a knock on his door. 'Tony' was his only thought. Tim wasn't quite sure if he thought it menacingly or happily or what. But he knew it would be Tony standing at the door, cocky grin on his face with a cup of coffee possibly in his hand. Another knock startled Tim and he opened the door to see his suspicions confirmed.

"Tony." he said as he let the man into his apartment. Tim half expected a snide remark about how messy or geeky his place was, but it never came.

"Hey, Tim." Tony said with a sympathetic smile on his face.

"Can I sit down?" he asked, pointing at the couch. Tim nodded and walked over to where his parter and maybe even his best friend sat.

"I uh know you know why I'm here. And you also probably know what I'm gonna say, so I'll just cut to the chase." Tony said, reading McGee's mind.

"I'm really really sorry. I know how it feels to lose a parent, Tim. When I lost my mom I did the same thing, but on like the eight year old scale. I was miserable. And I was really stupid." Tony said with a chuckle.

"What did you do?" Tim asked.

"Well, Tony DiNozzo wasn't always a GSM obsessed, movie buff, playboy, you see. Before-" Tony took a deep breath before he continued. Tim could tell that whatever this was, it was hard for him to admit. Nevertheless, Tony continued his story.

"Before my mom died, I was... a lot like you actually. But afterwards, my father made my life a living hell. So I didn't eat, didn't sleep, and I basically stopped doing school work. Three weeks after, I got up to get a tissue and collapsed in the middle of my third grade classroom. I was in the hospital for like four days. After that, I manned up and became what I am today." Tony said, revealing something that shocked Tim. Now they were both sad.

"You mean the funny guy who stares danger in the face, laughs, and shoots it in the leg? Or the guy who is really protective of the younger agent on the team? Because that's what you are to me, Tony. My partner. I'm glad you've got my back everyday, but in sight of recent events, I'm not really sure what happens next." McGee confessed. Tony smiled and got up.

"Well I do." He smiled and pulled a movie out of his jacket. He handed it to Tim, who stuck it into the DVD player.

"Prepare to watch the hilarious 1974 Mel Brooks classic western, Blazing Saddles, staring Gene Wilder and Cleavon Little. God this is a great movie." Tony proclaimed. His smile faltered when Tim got an unamused look on his face.

"Look, the point is, it's a hilarious movie. And I'm going to give it to you. Because- well, because you're one of the best friends I have. And best friends give each other movies. Well, that's what me and my friends do, at least." Tony decided to sit down and hit play. He hoped Tim would at least give the movie a chance because it was one of the funniest movies Tony had ever seen.

Twenty minuets in, Tim and Tony had a beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other. They were already laughing like crazy and Tim had to admit, he rally wanted to keep the movie because it was insanely funny and Tim needed a good laugh.

"It feels good to laugh again." Tim said. Tony smiled.

"I like to hear that."

"Hey, Tim. I wanna ask you something." Tony said between laughs.

"What?" Tim said, looking at the man sitting next to him on the couch.

"Did you really mean what you said earlier? About the whole younger broth-" Tony started.

"Younger agent. I said I was the younger agent, Tony. But, if I am like a brother to you, then... I guess I will admit that I have thought the same of you before. I know first hand that siblings always protect each other, and I guess thats what we do, right?" Tim said.

"Yeah, that's what we do. But it's the same way with Ziva and Gibbs. And I really like you, McAgent. So when the movie's over, I'll leave if you want me too. I know how ya feel, pal." Tony said.

"Oh this is the best part! The beans scene is one of the best!" Tony said, pointing at the screen in anticipation. Sure enough, the beans scene didn't disappoint and a few minuets later, McGee was almost on the floor, and Tony, who had seen it over fifty times, was howling with laughter. Tony tried to scoot over and ended up spilling his beer all over himself and the pair laughed even more.

As Tony went to clean himself off, Tim started to remember things that he'd been trying not to think about. The most prominent was when he was eight. He was in school and was just coming in from recess. All of the sudden, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Tim remembered he had thought it was his friend, Ryan, asking how his recess was. But he turned around to see none other than his father, still in his Navy uniform and a camera crew from the local news. Everybody in his class started clapping and cheering and Tim got to go home from school early. That was one of the happiest memories Tim had with his father. He smiled and looked up back at the movie to see Tony standing there, staring at him.

"You ok, McGee?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, just a memory." Tim responded as Tony sat back down on the couch.

"Hey, like I said earlier, I'll leave anytime you want, man." Tony said, looking his partner in the eye.

"It's been nice having company, but I'm antisocial anyways. I kinda want to be alone for a while. Actually, I really want to sleep." Tim said.

"That's good. You should sleep because sleeping is good for Probies. And it's also good for Anthony's. I'll see you on Monday, McMovie. Enjoy it, Tim." Tony said to his friend as he gathered his keys and wallet off the counter and shoved them into his pockets. Tim watched his friend leave and sighed.

"Yeah. Monday."

**Ok. Now I really do want to know what you guys thought of that because I was a little unsure if people would think the emotions were a little out of character or not, so let me know your thoughts on that. Last chapter tomorrow! Thanks for reading everybody! ~Owl**


	3. Chapter 3

**The final installment has arrived. First off, I want to thank all of you who reviewed the last chapter, and the story over all. The amount is awesome. I'm not entirely sure why I made this story so short, but oh well. Anyway, enjoy the last chapter! ~Owl**

_Thursday_

Four hours later, Tim McGee was not asleep. He was far from it. He had written the next chapter in his book the previous night after Abby brought him cookies, which still sat on his counter. He played World of Warcraft for an hour or so, then he went on to clean his apartment. Which he had cleaned twice already that week. Quite honestly, Tim was really bored whenever he wasn't occupied with moping. He wanted to go back to work, but he was so unstable. Anything that might remind him of his father could send him over the edge and the last thing McGee wanted was for his team to see his vulnerable side.

Because Tim McGee was no man of stone like Gibbs. He didn't swallow sadness and joke about it like Tony. And he certainly wasn't like Ziva, who regarded pain and sorrow as things one did not need to deal with and didn't let them enter her mind. Tim McGee was vulnerable. Tim McGee cried. There was no first line of defense against emotions.

Whatever he felt, he felt. Tim was normal. He was no hardcore Marine. He was no brilliant minded cop. He was no super secret ninja assassin. He was a kid, essentially, a kid who had a dad that died saving people's lives. A kid with a sister and a mom who loved him. Tim thought about that as he dragged himself to bed, even though he wasn't tired. Tony was right, Probie's do need to sleep at some point.

He turned on his ceiling fan and tried to force himself to sleep. That's all he wanted to do. No more interventions, no more movies and pep talks and awkward conversations. Just sleep. Yet, sadly, sleep was about the only thing that hadn't come to his apartment the whole week. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours. Some time later, Tim heard a knock at the door. A glance at the clock told him that it was almost three in the morning.

"Ziva I really don't want to anybody right now. Please just go away. It's three in the morning for crying out loud." Tim said, annoyed that she would actually think he would want to talk at three am. And Tim knew it was Ziva because she was the only one who hadn't seen him yet.

"Just wanted to talk." a voice that was not Ziva's said from outside the door. Tim sat bolt upright in his bed.

Five minuets later, Tim had awkwardly welcomed the man into his apartment. They stood there for a few seconds before Tim realized he should do something. He walked over to the couch and sat down, silently inviting the man over to do the same.

"I know how you feel, Tim. I know what you're feeling. It pretty much sucks." Gibbs said, taking a seat on the couch next to him.

"Yeah. I guess I've joined the club now." Tim said. If he had been tired before, the searing pain in the back of his head definitely woke him up.

"Don't you think of this like that. Everybody loves their parents, wether they know it or not." Gibbs said.

"Yeah. I'm finding that out." Tim said. He took a sip of the warm and refreshing beverage. Silence engulfed the room as neither knew what to say next.

"At one point I was so crazy, you know what I did?" Gibbs asked after a short silence, sipping some coffee.

"What?" Tim asked, taking the warm drink from the table.

"I was sitting on a beach where I used to take the girls riding. Kelly, she loved to ride horses. And I sat there, looking at the waves crashing onto shore thinking 'Why? Why did this happen to me?' And you know what I did, Tim?" Gibbs asked, looking at the younger agent. He shook his head, so Gibbs continued.

"I pulled my gun out and I put it right here." Gibbs said, pointing to the middle of his forehead.

"Boss." Tim whispered, tears welling in his eyes. He couldn't believe that his mentor, his boss, his leader was admitting he was suicidal at one point in his life. This was not what he expected from Gibbs.

"And I sat alone on that beach for hours, trying to pull the trigger. But then I realized that Shannon and Kelly would be mad at me for doing that. So I put the gun away, manned up, and joined NCIS." Gibbs said, concluding his sad story. Tim looked at his boss and started to cry. He put his arm around Tim and sat there on the couch, comforting the grieving young man.

"It- It's j- just t- to hard. We were just s- starting to talk to each other and t- then... it was over." Tim said between tears. Gibbs scooted over and put his arms around him, just like he did to Kelly the last time he saw her. Tim looked into his boss' eyes, and for the first time, he saw the pain and hurt he had been keeping from the team all these years showing in the crystal blue pools. Tim felt sorry for him.

Gibbs saw everything that Tim had been keeping to himself for the past ten years. All the times Tony teased him, tricked him, left him out. All the times he was rejected the care and attention he craved. All Tim wanted was to show somebody what he could really do. He just wanted somebody to recognize that he was just as important to the team as Tony or Ziva was. And Gibbs learned this, holding Tim, slightly rocking him back and forth. He didn't seem to mind, in fact, it was calming him down.

He had stopped crying and was just hiccuping.

"It's hard, Tim. I know its the worst feeling in the world to realize you are never going to see someone as important as your father again. But you are strong. You're strong enough to get through this. I know you are because I've seen it. When Kate died, you didn't shed a tear in public. And you what, 27?" Gibbs asked, doing the math in his head. Tim nodded. Gibbs continued.

"If that were me, I would have cried no matter what. But you didn't. You stayed strong because of Tony, no doubt. Am I right?" Gibbs said to his youngest agent.

"I thought Tony would make fun of me, exploit my weakness, y'know? That's all he'd ever done before, so I had no reason to believe he would behave differently. So I didn't do anything at NCIS. I never saw Tony cry. And I thought that if I did, then he would call me weak or wimpy. I just wanted to fit in. I've always wanted to fit in." Tim slowly answered Gibbs' question.

Gibbs nodded and said, "That's what I thought." Tim looked out the window, on to the quiet DC landscape. It was, after all, three thirty in the morning.

"I know you're strong. That's why I wanted you on my team. And I know that you are hurting. But there are these two kittle kids, Jake and Maddie, who really want to see their daddy again." Gibbs said, referring to the case they were working on. He wasn't lying. Jake and Maddie Owens, eight and ten, hadn't seen their dad in three days. They needed their father back, and so far, Tony and Ziva had come up with nothing. Gibbs spoke again.

"We need you, Tim."

Tony sat at his desk, whispering to Ziva.

"I visited his apartment last night." He spoke softly, as not to alert anyone. When he was sure no one heard him, Tony continued to talk.

"Abby said when she talked to him on Tuesday he almost started crying. I've never seen Probie cry! Probie doesn't cry, does he?" Tony said.

"Everybody cries, Tony. It is very sad. He has just lost the man who raised him, I am sure that he has every right to cry. I would if it were my father." Ziva said, countering Tony's statement. All of the sudden, the elevator dinged, and Tony and Ziva made themselves look busy. Tony looked up to say something to his boss, but instead was shocked to see McGee coming in, right behind Gibbs.

"Guys, I have a lead on where Sergeant Owens is." Tim said, going to his desk and putting something up on the plasma. Ziva's eyebrows went up as she and Tony got up and went to the middle of the room. Tony parked himself right next to Tim, who started to talk and click through images.

He went way beyond the bottom line, and was saying words no one had ever heard before, but for once, no one stopped him. Tony looked to Ziva, then to Gibbs, who seemed as though he was clinging onto every word. Ziva glanced at Tony, who also had a very puzzled look on his face. Tim was finished rambling and he looked back at his team.

"Any questions?" Tim asked, sensing they were all completely lost. Tony just looked at him and clapped him on the back.

"Welcome back, McGee."

**And that's a wrap! Let me know what you thought of the conclusion. Thanks a million for reading, reviewing, and following everybody! Until the next story, Owl.**


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